


one day

by DeathStricken (douchebagmcpickle)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith Is Gay AF, Keith and Pidge are orphans and basically siblings, M/M, lance doesn't come until later, shiro is Keith's biological dad, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 19:26:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9840617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/douchebagmcpickle/pseuds/DeathStricken
Summary: “One day,” Katie whispered, burying her nose into Keith’s neck. He held his arms around her protectively, pulling the blanket on his bed up around them both. “I want to leave here and never look back.”“One day,” Keith promised, resting his chin on top of her head, absentmindedly running his fingers through her long hair."After finally uncovering Keith's past, he and his best friend, Pidge, leave home on the night of their prom on an epic road trip to California to meet Keith's birth father.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so this is my first Voltron fic! I have others in progress but I'm really excited about this one. It won't be too long I hope, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. 
> 
> Keith and Pidge are a year apart, Pidge 16 and Keith 17. Shiro is 33 and Allura is 34. Just for age reference. I'll update that when I introduce Lance. 
> 
> Anyway, my Tumblr is the-trash-nebula so feel free to head over there and yell at me about Voltron and/or the flash?
> 
> EDIT: I posted this at like, 5am and I didn't edit it at all? Anyway I talked it over with my friend and we edited a bunch of shit. Including Pidge, who is no longer a trans boy. Just a non gender-conforming lesbian.

“One day,” Katie whispered, burying her nose into Keith’s neck. He held his arms around her protectively, pulling the blanket on his bed up around them both. “I want to leave here and never look back.”

“One day,” Keith promised, resting his chin on top of her head, absentmindedly running his fingers through her long hair. “

\---

“Large soy macchiato for Jake!”

Keith passed the coffee off to the customer, wishing him a good day before moving off to make the next one. He swiped his forearm across his forehead, stopping at the counter to greet the next customer. But instead of the normal hipster and/or businessman, Keith was greeted by a familiar face.

“Hey, Katie, just the usual?” He asked, already pulling a clear cup off the stack and the sharpie out of his apron. He uncapped it with his teeth, scrawling her name across the front in his messy chicken scratch.

“Yes, but also how soon before you can take a break?” She asked. There was an odd look on her face that had Keith’s eyebrows pulling together. “It's nothing bad, don't worry, but it's really important.”

“Uh, alright. I'm off in 20, but I can probably get Rolo to cover for me in 10?” He rang up her drink on the register. She passed over a handful of change before he ever told her the total.

“I'll be in the corner,” she said, rocking back and forth on her heels. He nodded and quickly made her drink- a vanilla frap with “as much peppermint you can put in without me dying”- and handing it off over the counter. As she bounced away, he took a moment to appreciate the odd ensemble she had put together

His tiny friend wore a light pink skirt over black leggings that were cut off halfway down her calves, and a flowy white blouse. The only thing that looked like it was picked out by her were the worn green converse and galaxy printed socks with little aliens. She pulled her headphones on up over her ears when she sat down, her long ponytail swung behind her, swishing back and forth as she nodded along to the beat she tapped out on the launchpad app she was playing with. She was so short, he often forgot that she was only a year younger than he was. 

His shift went relatively well, though he nearly burned himself on the steamed milk when he let his mind wander too much. Rolo had no issue covering his shift so he had a few extra minutes with his best friend.

“What's up?” He asked, sitting down across from her and pushing her headphones back down around her neck. He stole a sip from her drink, coughing at how much peppermint syrup he'd put in it. “I got about 20 minutes so get talkin’.” Katie bit her lip, and he could hear her tapping her feet anxiously. She looked about ready to explode. “What?” He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“I-” she started, before stopping again. “Okay, this is a really big deal for us, so just, stay calm, alright?”

Keith’s stomach was turning and his eyebrows were reunited in the middle of his forehead again. “Katie, what's going on?”

She carefully took his hands in hers, looking him in the eyes, while his searched her face.

“I found your dad.”

Keith was silent for two minutes. 120 full seconds. And then he burst into tears. Rolo let him go home.

\---

“Alright, you gotta calm down,” Katie said, rubbing his back. He hadn't stopped crying since they left the coffee shop. They were sitting in a small park on the creaky old bench. “Are you calm?” Keith took a shaky breath, rubbing his eyes with his palms. Then he slowly nodded.

“So, for starters, Keith is not actually your real name.” His head snapped in her direction, eyes wide.

“It's not?”

“Nope,” she replied, pulling out her phone. “I found your birth certificate. Keith is your middle name.” She opened a file and turned it towards him. “Akira Keith Kogane.”

His lip wobbled but he didn't let himself cry again. “I- wow, okay,” he said, swallowing thickly. “Uh, you can just call me Keith…”

“That was the plan,” she replied, with a shrug. “And your parents’ names are on the birth certificate too.”

“Who are they?” Keith asked, and Katie took his hand again.

“Your mom, her name is Gemma Kodesh. I have scoured the internet and I can't find anything about her. No Facebook, no news reports, no nothing.” Katie glanced over at him to see how he was doing. “And your dad’s name is Takashi Shirogane-”

“They combined their last names,” Keith muttered. “Kodesh and Shirogane. Kogane. What a weird thing to do.”

“They were teenagers,” Katie said with a shrug. “Your dad was 16 when you were born. Kind of explains why they gave you up.” She rubbed her thumb along the back of his hand. “I've got a ton more information, if you want it?”

Keith was quiet for a minute. It did explain why they gave him up. Maybe this guy wasn't a deadbeat, he was just a kid. For all Keith knew, this guy didn't even know he existed.

“I want to know more.”

Katie smiled and fiddled with her phone. “I found his Facebook. He lives in California with his girlfriend, Allura Altea. He's ex-military, loves cats, very good at eyeliner. I have pictures.”

“Show me,” Keith said, glancing over her shoulder. She pulled up a picture of a man with an undercut and a tuft of stark white hair. There was a fading scar across the bridge of his nose and sharp eyeliner on his eyelids. He was smiling at a dark-skinned woman with long, fluffy white hair, kissing red lipstick onto his cheek. He looked young, they both did, early 30’s. When Katie swiped the picture over, the man was wearing Mickey Mouse ears and in his tank top, Keith could see he had a very high-tech look prosthetic arm.

“Where did you say he lived?” Keith asked, not taking his eyes off the man. Takashi Shirogane. His biological dad.

“California.”

Keith looked up and met Katie’s eyes. “Remember what I promised you five years ago?” He didn't need to say anything more before she nodded.

\---

They'd been saving for this trip for a long time. Since the day they met. He remembered that day so clearly.

_“What are you doing out here?” A small voice asked. Keith looked up from where he was sitting- the small ledge outside his bedroom window- to see the window of the house beside his open and a girl with big brown eyes looking at him curiously._

_Keith just shrugged. He didn't talk much then, not after his previous family._

_“Mind if I join you?” The girl asked, pushing the window open further so she could crawl out onto the little ledge. There wasn't much room and if you extended your legs all the way, your foot would touch the other house. She didn't wait for his response before she sat down and stretched out her legs. “I'm Katie Holt.”_

_“Keith,” he replied, “I don't have a last name. Or at least I don't know it.”_

_“That's okay,” she replied with a shrug. “We all got our flaws.” She leaned forward, beckoning him forward. “Between me and you, I don't think I'm actually a girl.”_

They learned that they were both orphans with shitty foster families that didn't care whether they were there one way or the other. Katie’s parents didn't let her change her name or cut her hair, and she had to sneak shorts into her bag when she went to school. Keith’s parents would yell at him for no reason and sometimes send him to his room without dinner. Katie would sneak him some snacks on those nights.

Katie snuck over a lot. She would crawl through her window, into his and just crawl into his bed with him. She'd curl up with him and they'd talk about the day they left. “One day.” When they left this shitty down and never looked back.

And now they were really about to do it. 

Keith stood in front of his mirror, adjusting his tux. His tie was red and his hair was slicked back. The car outside was loaded up, a suitcase full of his junk and two suitcases of Katie's (one for her clothes and one for her tech, including her prototype robot, Rover). This was finally happening.

The plan was relatively simple. They told their parents they were attending Keith’s prom together. But instead of actually going, they were going to leave, drive and not stop driving until they got to California. Where they were going to meet Keith’s dad. They had until the morning before their parents realized they weren't coming back. 

“Keith, your date is here!”

He took a breath and made his way downstairs. His suit was secondhand, the cheapest one he could find. They needed all of their savings for this trip.

Katie was standing at his door in an electric green dress that brushed against the floor, strapless. Her hair was curled and hung around her face. Her glasses were gone in favour of eyeliner and mascara and the slight increase in high said high heels. All in all, she looked uncomfortable.

“You look great,” he said despite that. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, kissing her temple. There were bandages wrapped around her fingers and up her left forearm. Stress gave her rashes and she often found herself scratching until she bled.

“Let's just go, my feet already hurt.”

Keith laughed and ushered her out the door. He pulled the door open to his car (which was he only got because his parents were tired of having to drive him places) for her before getting in the driver’s side. He started up the car and pulled out of the driveway. Katie already had her shoes off and glasses back on.

He turned his head to look at her and they locked eyes. Katie started laughing. And when she didn't stop, Keith joined in. “I can't believe we’re doing this,” she laughed, turning on the radio. Soft pop music played through the speakers.

They drove passed the school where they could hear the dance music thumping from the prom inside. They drove passed the town sign and into the next town. They drove until the sun had set almost completely and they pulled over into the next gas station they passed. They popped the trunk and grabbed some clothes.

Keith changed out of his suit and into a faded Aerosmith tshirt he found at a thrift store and a pair of skinny jeans. It took a little while in the gas station bathroom but he got most of the gel out of his hair.

After he'd changed and he left the suit in the bathroom with a note that said it was free to whoever wanted it, he grabbed some snacks and drinks, and a pack of cigarettes with the entirely real ID Katie had made him.

He sat in the car and waited, windows rolled down, some shitty Bruno Mars song playing while he shoved cheddar popcorn into his mouth. The clock on the car read 9:48pm. Katie had been gone for almost half an hour.

Just as he was about to get up and look for her, the passenger door opened and Katie sat down. Her dress was gone, which he'd expected. She was wearing a white shirt with a green V across the front, a grey unzipped hoodie that was way too big for her, both of which were probably from the thrift store. Her baggy cargo shorts reached just passed her band-aid covered knees and looked like they'd been stolen from Keith’s closet at some point. Her galaxy socks pulled halfway up her calves and her ratty green converse completed her outfit. All of that he’d expected. What he didn't expect was her long brown hair to be chopped off around her jaw. 

It was fluffy, sticking out in all directions without weight to hold it down. Her makeup had been scrubbed off and there was a worn NASA cap pulled over her head. It took Keith a second to notice that she was holding his hand out to him.

He stared at it for a second before he took it. She gave him a firm shake and when he looked up at her in confusion, she smiled.

“Pidge Gunderson, I'm 16 years old, I fucking hate the colour pink and I really, _really_ like girls.”

Keith smiled and pulled her into a hug. Within second, they were both crying and laughing.

“Alright, enough sappy shit,” Pidge laughed, pulling away and rubbing her eyes. “Let's get on with this. I've been waiting five years for this trip, I don't want to wait another minute.”

“To California,” Keith said, shifting the car into drive. “To my dad.”

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to comment or DM if you see any errors?


End file.
